Combined dish and clothes washing machine and drier



June 29 1926; 1,590,470

D. R. MEANS COMBINED'DISH AND CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE AND. DRIER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 1924' givuentoa;

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June 29 1926. 1,590,470

D. R. MEANS COMBINED DISH AND CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE AND DRIER Filed July 28, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 f?. Z /7 l I i" III 1 I 9.? l 9/ 5755 g 53 i 52 I 50 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 /9. 2?. Mean/ 2 m atfozneql June 29 1926.

D. R. MEANS COMBINED DISAH AND CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE AND DRIER Filed July 28. 1924 June 29,1926. 1,590,470

D. R. MEANS COMBINED DISH AND CLOTHES WASHING, MACHINE AND DRIER Filed July 28, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q 7-2. Meazgs Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES DWIGHT R. MEANS, OF BARBERTO'N, OHIO.

COMBINED DISH AND CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE AND DRIER.

Application filed July 28, 1924. Serial No. 728,670.

The present invention relates to a machine for washin other material and for drying the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which may immediately be converted from a clothes washing machine to a dish washing machine and which, after the washing of the dishes or the clothes has been completed, will dry the articles deposited therein.

Another object of the invention is to construct the machine in the form of a tub in which are deposited several perforated baskets, separate ones being used for the clothes and for the dishes. The machine is provided with a fan in the bottom thereof which is adapted to be revolved during the dish washing operation and also during the drying operation of the machine.

When used for washing clothes, suction elements are attached to the operating shaft of the machine and the latter is geared in such a manner to a motor that the suction elements will be reciprocated in the tub while other gearing is provided for revolving the shaft wit-h the fan during the dish washing and drving operations in which case the suction elements are removed from the shaft.

Some of the advantages of this combination dish washing and clothes washing ma chine may be enumerated. After dishes have been placed in the machine and cleaned, they will be dried through forced circulation of air caused by the fast revolving fan. The machine can be almost instantly changed from a dish washing to a clothes washing machine or vice versa. The clothes being dried by centrifugal force, no scalding of the operators hands will take place in the hot water or from the hot clothes and the tearing or damaging of buttons and fastenings common to ordinary wringers is avoided.

The machine is very economical and although combining the features of washing and drying both dishes and clothes the cost of manufacture of the same will be no higher than an ordinary electric washing machine. It is thus very economical for the purchaser who obtains a machine which will do the work of two machines for the price usually paid for a clothes washing machine or a dish washing machine.

In the accompanying drawings, one emdishes as well as clothes or' bodiment of the invention is illustrated, and F igure 1 1s a top plan view, partly in section, of the machine as arranged for clothes washing;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Flg. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to Fig. 2 with the machine arranged for-dish washing; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the baskets;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 77 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of one of the details;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 1010 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1111 of -Fig. 10.

The machine will first be described as arranged for clothes washing with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2. In these figures the reference numeral 15 represents a cylindrical tank with a closed bottom 16 and an open top. A cover 17 fits closely with an annular flange 18 in the top of the tank. The bottom 16 has a central depressed portion forming a shallow pan 19 with in clined side walls 20 connecting the same with the main bottom 16. bottom of the pan 19 are secured a plurality of ridges 21 which about midway between their inner and outer ends are interrupted to form an open space 22, as best seen in Figure 1. Upon the main portion of the bottom 16 are other ridges 23 which extend from the outer periphery of the tank substantially tangential to the pan 19. These tangential ridges 23 are provided with shallow notches 24, the use of which will presently be described. At 25 is shown a drain pipe with a valve 26 opening into the bottom of the pan 19 of the tank. The tank is preferably supported by standards or legs 27 so that it is raised above the floor 28.

The reference numeral 30 represents a perforated metal basket of cylindrical shape having somewhat smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the tank. The bottom 31 Upon the flat of the basket 30 is flat and has a bead 32 on its under side which is adapted to engage in the notches 24 when the basket rests upon the ridges 23 to hold 1t from turning when the machine is arranged for washing clothes. The middle portion of the bottom 31 in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is constructed as a fan 42 of substantially the same diameter as that of the pan 19 in the tank. The fan, when in tegral with the basket, is produced by slittin the bottom 31 along radial lines 33 an arcuate lines 34 and bending the resulting flaps along a radial line 35 to form downwardly inclined vanes 36 which dip into the pan 19, as best seen in Flgure 2. The free radial edge of each fan vane has a rectangular 1ip'37 which is adapted to register with the spaces 22 formed in the ridges 21.

In the center of the pan 19 is a hollow column 38 forming a water-tight connection therewith and extending upwardly some distance to form a bearing for the operating shaft 39 which is mounted not only to be revolved in the bearing but also to be reciprocated therein in axial direction. The

upper end of the bearing column '38 is preferably provided with a packing box 40 to form a water-tight connection with the operating shaft 39. This column is surrounded /by a tubular shank or drum 41 extending upwardly from and preferably integral with the fan 42' which the vanes 36 constitute. This tubular shank prevents clothes deposited in the basket 30 from coming in contact with the column 38 or the shaft 39 during the drying process when the fan and basket are rotated, and it also constitutes an air duct for a downward air current when drying dishes as will be explained later. Above the tubular shank 41, a spider 43 is rigidly secured on the operating shaft 39, See Figures 8 and 9. This spider has an outer ring 44 of substantially the same diameter as the tubular shank 41, and this ring is provided with apertures 45 adapted to receive thumb screws 46 having threaded engagement with sockets 47 provided in the tubular shank 41. When the machine is used for washing clothes, the spider 43 is raised slightly above the top of the tubular shank 41, as best seen in Figure 2, after the thumb screws 46 have been removed. On the other hand, when the machine is'used for washing dishes or drying clothes, the basket 30 together with the fan 42 may be lifted from the ridges 23 and the notches 24 to be suspended on the spider after the thumb screws 46 have been drawn up tight-- ly. Studs 48 may also be provided on the spider to properly locate the same on the tubular shank 41.

The operating shaft 39 extends some dis tance above the spider 43 in order to receive the hub 50 for the suction cups 51 carried by arms 52"radiating from the hub 50. The hub is formed with a chamber 53 in which is inserted a coiled compression spring 54 abutting with its lower end against the bottom portion of the hub 50 and with its upper end against a shoulder formed on a sleeve 55 secured in any suitable manner, as by a locking pin 57, on the operating shaft 39. The pin is held in place by a latch spring 91. The sleeve 55 extends downwardly through the bottom of the hub, and a collar 56 is threaded or in any other suitable manner secured on the lower end of the sleeve. The pin 57 may engage selectively in one of the transverse apertures 58 provid-' ed in the operating shaft. B this arrange-- ment it is possible to adjust t e suction cups 51 up and down on the shaft according'to the volume of clothes in the'bask et 30. The spring 54 permits the necessary yielding of the cups in case of great pressure.

At its lower end the o erating shaft 39 carries a fiat disk 60 rigidly secured thereon, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, and the end of the shaft is furnished with a ball bearing 61, the lower race of which is pivotally supported on a lever 62.. The opposite end of this lever has pivotal engagement, as at 63, with a link 64 which is pivotally suspended, as at 65', from a stationary bearing 66 preferably secured to one of the standards 27. About midway between its ends the lever 62 is hinged, as at 67, to a second link 68. The otherend of said link is journaled, as at"69, at the free end of a crank 70. This crank is rigidly attached to a spindle 71 carried in suitable bearings, as at 72, and a worm wheel 73 is keyed to this spindle. On a second spindle 74 revolubly supported in a bearing frame 75 is mounted a worm 76 which is in mesh with the worm wheel 73. On one end of this second spindle 74 is secured a combined hand and fly wheel 77 and the opposite end of the spindle carries a friction disk 78.

The reference numeral 79 indicates a motor which is shown conventionally and is generally an electric motor. The motor is shown as slidably mounted in guides 80 on the bottom of the tank 15. The axis of the motor and its shaft 81 intersect the axis of the operating shaft 39, and an adjusting screw 82 having a handle 83 is adapted to slide the motor toward and from the operating shaft 39. The adjusting screwengages in one of the standards 27 and also with a threaded boss 84 on the upper side of the motor 79. The free end of the motor shaft carries a friction disk 85 so situated with relation to the disks 60 and 78 that it can be made to contact with either one of these disks and the described means for shifting the motor in the guides 80 is only one arrangement for shifting the disk 85 into a.

desired position. As seen in Fi ure 3, the adjusting screw 82 has been mam ulated to bring one of the fiat sides of the friction disk 85 into contact with the peripheral edge of the friction disk 78. This is indicated by full lines in this figure. When the motor 79 is pushed inwardly by the adjusting screw 82, the friction disk 85 will be made to contact with its other fiat side against the peripheral edge of the friction disk 60 on the operating shaft 39, as seen by dotted lines in the said figure. A third position may be given the friction disk 85 when it is free from both friction disks 60 and 78.

lVhen the machine is used as a clothes washing machine, the thumb screws 46 are withdrawn permitting the basket to rest stationary upon the ridges 23. The cup carrier 52 having been previously removed, the machine is filled with hot water to a desired height and then the material to be washed is placed in the basket 30 together with the necessary cleaning agents, whereupon the cup carrier 52 is placed at a suitable height upon the operating shaft 39 to cause the cups to create pressure on the clothes in the basket. As several apertures 58 are provided through the operating shaft 39, a close adjustment is possible with the cup carrier 52. The cover 17 is placed over the upper open end of the tank. The motor 79 is then started and the friction disk 85 adjusted into contact with the friction disk 78 of the lifting or reciprocating device. The rotation of the friction disk 85 will then revolve the disk 78, the spindle 74 and the worm 76. The latter thereupon. turns the worm wheel 73 together with the crank 70, thus communicating an axial reciprocation to the operating shaft 39 through the intermediary of the links 64, 68 and the lever 62. In this manner the operating shaft 39 will alternately raise and lower the suction cups 51 and the latter will bring the clothes in the basket 30 into motion. This operation is continued as long as desired and then the machine is stopped and the cups removed by lifting the latch spring 91 and drawing out the locking pin 57.

With the shaft 39 in its lowermost position. that is to say, when the crank 70 points downwards, the thumb screws 46 are inserted in the spider 43 and turned home in the sockets 47 so that the spider and the basket are clamped together. The shaft 39 is thereupon raised to its topmost position either by the use of the motor 79 or the hand wheel 7 7 In the raised position of the shaft 39 and the basket 30 now secured thereto, the latter clears the water in the tank and may be revolved to dry the clothes by contrifugal force. This is accomplished by shifting the friction disk 85 into contact with the disk 60 instead of with the wheel 78. The rotation of the basket 30 will take.

place in the direction indicated by arrow X in Figure 1. Next the partly dried clothes are removed and the basket refilled with soiled clothes which are now cleaned in the same hot water and soap suds in the manner described. After all the clothes have been washed, the hot water and soap suds are emptied through the drain pipe 25 by opening the valve 26, and after again closing the valve, cold water is poured into the tub and the reciprocating action of the operating shaft 39 and the cups 50 is repeated until the clothes have been thoroughly rinsed. The drying is then done in the manner described. The cold water will thereupon be drained through the drain pipe 25. It should be noted that the carrier 52 with the suction cups need not be removed from the operating shaft 39 during the drying operation unless the operator so desires. In the drying operation, the cover 17 must be removed to aid the circulation.

In case the proper setting of the crank 70 and the lever 62 should have been neglected when the basket 30 is intended to revolve nothing serious will happen but the basket 30 will be raised from the bottom of the tank 15. Nor would any serious trouble happen if the machine is arranged for clothes washing and the motor is started while its friction disk 85 contacts with the friction disk on the main shaft instead of with the disk 78 of the reciprocating device. In that case instead of raising the cups 51 they will be rotated in the tub.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 4, 5 and 6 in which the machine is represented asarranged for washing dishes, the cups 51 and arms 52 are removed, the spider 43 and the tubular shank 41 are coupled together by means of the thumb screws 46 so that the basket 30 is ready for rotation and is slightly raised above the ridges 23 on the bottom 16 of the tub 15. In addition to the basket 30, other baskets 90 and 91, preferably of wire netting, are then furnished. The basket 90 has a con siderable depth and has an outwardly di rected flange 92 at its upper edge which is adapted to rest on an annular ledge 93 fur nished near the top of the tank 15. The diameter of the basket 90 is slightly less than that of the basket 30 so that the former may pass down within the latter, as best shank 41 which might otherwise cause bfieakage and possibly stopping of the mac me.

The top basket 91 which is shallower than the basket 90 is adapted to fit withinthe latter and has an outwardly directed flange 96 conforming to the flange 92. When the two baskets 90 and 91 are assembled in the machine, the basket 91 rests on small lugs 97 provided on the wall of the basket 90. The ledge 93 is of sufficient width to support the shallow basket 91 alone if it should be found advantageous to lift the metal basket 90 out when using the machine. The basket 91 is provided with a central pipe 98 extending between its bottom and its top edge. Radial partitions 100 connecting the pipe 98 with the side wall are also furnished in this basket. The pipe is also made of wire mesh and is of suflicient inner diameter to permit the operating shaft 39 to travel up and down in the pi e. in case the motor 79 should happen to e geared to the disk wheel 78 of the reciprocating device when the upper baskets 90 and 91 are in place. Similarly the cage 94 will permit the rise and fall of the spider 4:3 and the tubular shank 11.

hen the machine is operated as a dish washing machine, the arrangement indicated in Figure 4 is used. The dishes are placed in the compartments of the intermediate basket 90 which is then placed in the tank and suspended from the annular ledge 93. Similarly the upper basket 91 is 'filled with dishes or crockery and placed in position in the intermediate basket 90. ,The pan 19 of the tank 15 is only partly filled with hot water and no higher than that the lower edges of the vanes 36 will pass freely over the surface of the water and only the lips 37 dip into the same. When the basket 30 with the fan 42 is revolved, the fan will revolve at a fairly high rate of speed and the lips 37 of the vanes will suck up a portion of the water and throw it upwardly against the dishes. The rest of the water will be kept from revolving in the pan 19 of the tub by the ridges 21 and the returning water from the dishes will be collected upon the fiat main portion 16 of the bottom and directed by the ridges 23 centerward in the tank. After the dishes have been washed, the hot water may be drained off as already described through the drain pipe 25 and cold water poured into the tank and circulated by the fan in the same manner as already described. Finally, after the rinsing of the dishes has been completed and the rinsing water also drawn off, the dishes are dried by a continued rotation of the fan and the basket 30 in opposite direction to that indicated by arrow X in Figure 1. During the drying operation of the dishes, the vanes act as a circulating fan drawing air down. through the tubular shank 41 and forcing it u through the dishes. During the dish was ng operation, the lips 37 alone dip into the water to throw it upwardly but the larger inclined portion of the vanes will help spray the water over the dishes.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank in spaced relation to the bottom of the tank, thebottom of the tank having a central depression constituting a shallow pan,a fan carried by the bottom of the basket and disposed within the pan, an operating shaft journaled below the tank and extending upwardly through the bottom of the tank and through the fan and the basket, and means releasably securing the basket and the fan to the shaft.

2. A washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank in spaced relation of the bottom of the same, thebottom of the tank having a central depression constituting a shallow pan, an operating 90' shaft, a fan carried by and beneath the bottom of the basket within the pan and comprising a series of vanes inclined downwardly from the bottom of the basket, and means whereby the basket and the fan may be secured tothe shaft or released from the same.

3. A washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank, the bottom of the tank having a central depression constituting-a shallow pan, an operating shaft, ridges in the pan provided with notches in their upper sides, a fan carried by the bottom of the basket within the pan and including a plurality of vanes inclined downwardly, lips on the free edges of the vanes registering with the notches in the upstanding ridges, and means for connecting the fan and the basket to the operating shaft.

4:. A washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank, an operating shaft, a fan carried by and beneath the bottom of the. basket and including a series of vanes inclined downwardly from the bottom of the basket, a vertical tubular member disposed centrally in the basket and from which the vanes radiate, a spider on the shaft, and means for securing the spider upon the upper end'of the tubular member.

5. A washing and drying machine comprising a tank having a central depresion in its bottom constituting 'a shallow pan, a basket in the tank, an operating shaft, upstanding ridges on the pan having notches in their upper sides, a fan'carried by and beneath the basket and within the pan, said fan including a series of vanes inclined downwardly from the bottom of the basket, lips on the wanes registering with the notches in the ridges on the pan, means for securing the fan and the basket to the operating shaft, and other upstanding ridges on the bottom of the tank around the pan, said other ridges being adapted to support the basket when the latter is released from the shaft. I

6. A Washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank, an operating shaft, a fan carried by and beneath the basket, elements releasably securing the fan and the basket to the shaft, a central vertical tubular member within the basket, the fan being disposed exteriorly of said member, a second basket suspended at its edge in the tank and depending into the first-mentioned basket, and a central cylindrical wall in the second basket alined axial tubular member in the first-mentioned basket.

7. A Washing and drying machine comprising a tank, a basket in the tank, an op-' erating shaft, a fan carried by and beneath the basket, elements releasably securing the fan and the basket to the shaft, a central tubular member in the basket, a second basket suspended at its upper edge in the tank and depending into the first-mentioned basket, a central cylindrical wall in the second basket alined axially with and of greater diameter than the tubular member of the first-mentioned basket, and a third basket supported in the upper portion of the second basket and having a central pipe alined axially with the cylindrical wall in the sec ond basket.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DWIGHT R. MEANS. 1,. 8. 

